Deputy mayor responds to criticism of Sadiq Khan over progress being made on cycling in London

Val Shawcross, London’s Deputy Mayor for Transport, has said that Mayor of London Sadiq Khan remains “committed to being the most cycling-friendly mayor that the capital has ever had.” Her comments, made in a post on the Guardian's Bike Blog, are a response to criticism of Khan led by Andrew Gilligan, London’s former Cycling Commissioner.

Earlier this month Gilligan, who was appointed to the newly-created position in early 2013 by former Mayor Boris Johnson, set out in the same newspaper what he called “Five cycling tests” for Khan to ensure he continued the momentum begun under the previous administration and make good on his manifesto pledges on cycling.

Khan, now six months into his mayoralty, was warned by Gilligan that time is against him and he also expressed his concerns about progress made on projects begun under Johnson, and urged Khan to stand up to opponents of plans for cycling, and develop his own, new schemes.

Gilligan also criticised City Hall for failing to date to announce a successor to him as Cycling Commissioner and claimed that whoever is selected to occupy that post will have less access to the mayor than he did, and they will work fewer hours – both of which have been denied by the current administration.

Shawcross, who was leader of the Labour faction in the London Assembly prior to May’s elections, said she wanted “to set the record straight” on what she called “inaccurate reports” regarding Mr Khan’s plans for cycling.

Although she didn’t mention Gilligan by name, it’s clear that the journalist, who together with other campaigners has set up a blog, Human Streets to maintain pressure on the mayor over cycling, was her principal target.

> Gilligan steps up pressure on Khan over cycling

She insisted Khan would make good on his pre-election commitment to put more money into cycling, and that a new business plan would “be published over the coming weeks that will fulfil this promise.”

Shawcross said that there had been “over 150 applicants for the position of Walking and Cycling Commissioner” – the added emphasis on pedestrians reflects Khan’s focus on active travel as a whole, and not exclusively cycling – and that an appointment will be made “over the coming weeks.”

Last month, she told road.cc that applicants ranged “from journalists to politicians and cycling superstars, so a real range of people who’ve been very involved in the lobby.”

> Shawcross: London cycling infrastructure will be better than ever

In her Guardian article, she said: “The role is to be an advocate for active travel in London – raising the profile of both cycling and walking as fantastic ways of travelling around the city and working with TfL to create healthier streets – and to make cycling safer and easier.”

Rejecting the concerns raised by Gilligan over his replacement, she said: “Contrary to what some have said, the terms of the appointment are almost identical to those of the previous cycling commissioner, reporting into the deputy mayor of transport and having real access to the mayor.”

As he approached the end of his eight years in office, Johnson said that pushing through cycling infrastructure in the face of vocal and often influential opposition had been a major achievement.

Khan has said that he wants to learn lessons from the way previous infrastructure was consulted on and implemented, and Shawcross said that “construction work is being planned to minimise disruption and congestion on the roads, with more work being undertaken at night.

“This was not a priority for the previous administration,” she claimed, saying it “led to increasing resentment against cyclists and cycle superhighways” which had “not helped the cyclists’ cause.”

She also accused the previous team at City Hall of pursuing policies which unnecessarily put them in conflict with Transport for London (TfL).

She wrote: “The previous mayor’s model on promoting cycling led to a commissioner fighting a war with TfL.

“Our model is about making both cycling and walking a mainstream function. TfL should be the mayor’s agent to design and deliver these schemes in the best possible way, and our new commissioner will benefit from a better functioning machine behind them.”

She highlighted the work currently being undertaken to complete the schemes initiated under Johnson, but claimed that in the case of Cycle Superhighway 11, due to run from Maida Vale to the West End and which is opposed by some north west London residents, “the consultation … was published on the last possible day before the mayoral election, [leaving] the council and community feeling their concerns had not been listened to or tackled.”

Shawcross also outlined other initiatives being undertaken including safety improvements at junctions, as well as measures announced by Khan to ban the most dangerous lorries from London’s streets.

She concluded: “Making cycling safer is a very serious issue. It affects thousands of Londoners, and tragically too many people are still dying and getting injured on our roads every year.

“Cyclists deserve a mayor on their side – which is what they have with Sadiq Khan – and they also deserve the truth about the work being done by city hall to make cycling in London safer and easier.”